The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-12-03
rrdoca .hcre were hours when doubted


among the Storage passengers put on an
old suit. and those people supposed had
parents aboard and was going TO the new
land. / also assumed triDing way, aud
H. was common enough 10 hear them
say 20 each other that was light In the
upper story. Ihung about the TWO men
q great deal. and as | made them presents
OF tobacco and ran errands for them, they
never drove me away IL was on the
afternoon Of the thirteenth day that the
men were sitting on their chests ana
pretended TO be asleep on a bundle OF
stuff near them, that they were joined by
three other men The five were quite by
themselves, and they had no sooner come
together than Bill said;
u have good news for you. We have
twelve sailors won over, and there are
men among the passengers tit 10 command
a frigate who Will gladly Join MS when the
time comes. How many names have you
got down Dick;'
"Thirty-cight, replied a gruff voice
which ! knew 10 belong 10 short, broad
backed man with red hair and the looks Of
a prize fighter. "Snce we started out
some Of the men have turned chicken
hearted, and are afraid Of the moose, but
as soon as we strike a blow there are six
or eight more who will be with us
Thirty eight and twelve are fifty,
unused Dick. That's crowd enough, if
we move together and move right, to cap
ture a man-of-war. It's too early to plan
yet. Wen just keep our minds made up
watch the officers and passengers, and four
weeks from now will be time 20 settle the
details 80
There was lots more talked, and when
could get away and have an interview
with the captain in his cabin told him
some things which made his eyes fash
He fully realized that plot 10 capture
the ship was Matching, but be had several
weeks i'm which 10 prepare TO checkmate
il. and was not in the least ratified. lie
cautioned me to say nothing 20 the mates
or 20 any Of the passengers, and ordered
me 20 continue my espionage Of the sus-
pected passengers We had on board, if |
remember Alright, about 800 soldiers and
citizens as first class passengers. The sol
diers numbered about thirty There were
perhaps twenty young men who were go
Ing ont 90 take government posts. The
rest Of the first class passengers were tour
lists. spectators, ranchmen and women
and children looked the lot over very
thoroughly, and made up my mind that
we had from sixty TO seventy men among
the first class who could bee depended on
10 stand by the captain.
The emigrants counted mp fully 2jO,
but there were not over fifty men. \
good thirty Of the lot were single women
going out 20 take service, and the rest
were wives and children. ! figured that
there were only seven men i'm the steeragc
who would fight for the ship. They
could not well be counted on, however,
for couple of the runaus armed with
pistols could hold them I'm check when the
hour came We had some tWenty-siX
sailors. a carpenter, DOatswain, a doc
tor, u steward. four cooks and two mates.
II all were loyal and the ship was not
taken by surprise there were men enough
% put the mutineers down pretty quick.
But an were not loyal Twelve Of the
sal0rs had already been Won over, and
when the hour came 70 strike IL was
likely the number would be increased 90
twenty. l figured, and l think the cap
tain did. too. that 10 would be about an
even thing I'm numbers. After / made
my second report 10 him he gave me or
ders 90 clean up all the firearms and load
them afresh These were an kept in IBIS
cabin. together with lot Of cutlasses and
boarding pixies, and spent two days on
the weapons without any one being the
wiser The ship had twenty musket-
and as many cutlasses and pixies. The
muskcts were Of old pattern, purchased az
sale of condemned stores. and cOuldn
say any better of the Cutlasses and pixies.
The ship did not pretend 10 be armed for
either war or pirates / got all the
weapons in the best shape and then re
turned 10 my former duties
What bothered the captain was TO
know when the attack was 10 be made.
and he could hardly see the object OF one
No sane man. no matter how tough De
was. could think OF capturing the ship and
PLAYING pirate with her She had no can
non. and in few days no most would Doe
hunted down by some war vessel Mr.
Cotton believed there was some plot o.
which the capture Of the ship was only %
part. but. try as hard as ] could. could
not get az the secret until long weeks had
passed, and the remainder Of our voyage
was only a question Of days Then one
day got 10 quite by accident had gone
into the forecastle az noon TO see what
could pick up among the sailors. I crept
into one of the hunks and pulled a blanket
over me- and in about an hour, or after
the watch below had eaten their dinner,
the ruflian who mad done most Of the talk
ing with our Bill in the public house
came down among the men. IL was
AGAINST orders, but he had somehow
slipped past the mates now heard him
called sam. 10 seemed that all the watch
below, as well as part Of that on duty,
were in The plot, and they made no bones
of speaking. My presence was, of course,
unsuspected.
Then came to light what was afterward
known throughout England as the "Win-
ston conspiracy" of which the papers
were full for months John Winston, q
noted and wealthy sporting man, was con
yicted of robbery and sentenced 10 penal
seryitude lie had brother James, who
/ interested friends in an effort 10 rescue
/ him Some were I'm for money and some
/ for the love OF adventure. IL took them
a year or more to lay their plans and the
money used up amounted 10 over El5, 600
Three OF four Of the conspirators secured
places as guards in the penal colony,
slooD Wqs uurcha~el Of Il cOast fruder and